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Categories » ‘AdWords’

Campaign to increase sales

October 9th, 2009 by Pete

Looking to increase sales? Even if your site is already generating leads or sales, there is scope to improve it further through campaigning i.e. short promotional activities designed to engage client interest.

In supermarkets we see these as ‘specials’; and we get bombarded with them in TV advertising, so consider using a campaigning strategy to promote your business via your website. (more…)

Internet marketing Mentoring can give real results

June 15th, 2009 by Pete

I was very pleased to hear from Wayne Van Elsen from Newport Digital today about his success with AdWords paid search.

In a recent  internet marketing mentoring session I guided Wayne through some refinements and tips for his home grown AdWords (pay per click advertising ) campaign.

After these tweaks, Wayne contacted me today to say that he’d closed $1,500 worth of business for a mighty investment of less than $3 for the clicks.

Wayne had previously given up on Adwords after an intial attempt, but he’s a convert now!

Well done Wayne!

Also special thanks to the ( 2009 International Incubator of the Year Award winning) team at North West Business Development Centre (NWBDC) who make the mentoring possible.

NWBDC’s mentoring services funds guy’s like myself to spend quality time with small business owners and their staff to develop skills to build their businesses; in my case the sessions are on using websites as a sales tool, but there’s a range of other consultants covering a range of business services.

Wayne’s business NewPort Digital provides websites suited to folks looking for low cost entry websites, but that can readily grow into substantial online presence without major expense.

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AdWords’ search-based keyword tool now available in Oz

April 22nd, 2009 by Pete

Google’s getting a bit superman-like with its barrage of enhancements for AdWords  - i.e. they’re coming in faster than a speeding bullet…  Today they launched the Search-based Keyword Tool into Australia

This tool compares current search activities against the content in your website and presents you with suggested keywords, their bid pricing etc

While the tool has been available in limited release since the end of ‘08, it is now generally accessible in Australia and elsewhere.

Ive used this tool on several recent projects, and will definitely be including it in my keyword research toolbox.

Try it out here yourself: Search-based Keyword Tool

This release is just one of an unyielding barrage of enhancements and new releases to help your AdWords online marketing campaign be more a more effective sales tool.

Is your AdWords service provider using these tools to make your campaign more competitive for you ?

Google’s Content Network | The hidden paid search marketplace

April 21st, 2009 by Pete

Google’s Content Network is emerging strongly as an independent and unique online marketing medium. This is clearly highlighted in Google’s recent report on Content Network Cost-per-Acquisition (CPA) performance.

Including the Content Network in your online advertising; and particularly understanding how to optimise this medium is becoming an important aspect of a successful online campaign.

The statistics from Google are staggering:

  • More than 6 billion ad impressions (i.e. displays) per day globally
  • Reaching 80% of internet users. (more…)

New AdWords interface is Analytics-like

April 10th, 2009 by Pete

Google have been trialling a new Adwords interface which looks very Analytics like

There’s even a New AdWords Interface website for more details & a beta sign up if you are interested

Display Ad Builder templates for Rich media & Video

March 31st, 2009 by Pete

If you’re not using Adwords Ad Builder you really need to re-think your ad strategy!

The Inside Adwords crew have announced yet another series of enhancements for the Ad Builder for Rich media and Video templates.

They’re great for

  • Multiple product exposure (with multiple destination URLs)
  • Tracking interactions as well as clicks

There’s lots of details, but best articulated in this You Tube video

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Internet marketing in ‘09

February 2nd, 2009 by Pete

Firstly, a belated new years wish & I trust that your business succeeds in what appears to be evolving into a more challenging commercial scene.

A greater emphasis on financial accountability in advertising (ah yes there is such a thing!) is creating even more demand for online marketing. 

While many industry segments have already embraced online marketing; new advertisers entering the fray are increasing the level of competition.

Simplistic online campaigns that may have performed adequately previously, are increasingly not able to perform cost-effectively, if at all any more.

This next phase in online marketing’s evolution will be focussed on campaigning smarter for less.

Under-pinning this evolution, Google continues to offer tools and capabilities to help online marketing strategies and campaigns be better researched; better managed and ultimately more competitive. (more…)

Animated ads for the non-Designer

January 20th, 2009 by Pete

Google AdWords new Display Ad Builder represents yet another milestone in Google’s evolution of AdWords. 

This tool provides a wizard that even a non-designer like me can easily follow to produce acceptable (well maybe not acceptbale to all but still adequate) and even some itneresting interactive Display Ads suitable for use in AdWords Content Network.

The value of using these is:

  • Often you can get away with (slightly) lower click prices in the Content Network
  • Animated or display ads are more prominent in some of the busy Content Network sites 
Im sure the ‘roll your own’ aspect will attract a number of users to these.  
Update 20 Jan 09: Display Ad Builder gets additional custom templates
Google has extended Dispay Ad Builder’s template library to include seasonal ads
As an Aussie I’d say there is little chance of the Presnetidential day te[lpate being used here, although I can see advertisers using the Valentine’s Day template.
Im sure this is the beginning of more to come.  

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Paid search tips and traps

October 28th, 2008 by Pete

So you’ve been telemarketed by yet another paid search provider and it sounds like an excellent marketing investment (and it is!).

But how do you decide which paid search services your business needs, and importantly how do you decide which service provider to use ?  Could you DIY paid search ? Not sure? Read on. (more…)

AdWords’ Quality Score goes real time

August 22nd, 2008 by Pete

Google announced  further refinements in Quality Score today, including real time calculation.

AdWords help is very clear about Quality Score : To achieve the lowest possible minimum CPC (cost per click) , make sure your keywords, ads, and landing pages provide an excellent user experience for those who search for those keywords, click on your ads, and visit your site.

We forecast further refinements with Adwords Quality Score in May this year but you really didnt need to be a Rhodes Scholar to see this :)

These factors include Landing page quality such as

  • Targeted keywords appearing in your landing page:
  • Landing page load time

Providers targeting simple externalised AdWords campaigns on a large scale will find they are increaingly not able to deliver the same campaign cost-effectiveness as a more holistic internet marketing approach that balances organic and paid search.

Quality Score is the hidden paid search metric. It is not displayed by default, so novices may not even be aware of its existence, but its impact in AdWords has an increasing relevance.

Monitor your paid search campaigns carefully to ensure you are not paying a premium because of a poor quality score. 

Ask your AdWords campaign manager to provide quality score information in your reports.

More info on Quality Score can be found in the Google AdWords Help here: